Walker, Texas Ranger Season 9 2: Zoot Suit Riot
by ckorkows
Summary: Season 9 is a 24 episode continuation of the original WTR series. You can check out the new episodes every Saturday at 8pm Standard Mountain Time - the same time the original show aired. Episode 2 is here!
1. Episode Guide

**October 1,**** 2010 - I've had several mishaps from medical and family emergencies to a wedding (thank God for some good in life!) that have kept me from being able to spend a ton of time working on these fics. I have decided to ignore the posting dates and simply work my hardest to get the episodes out as quick as possible so that I can take care of my mental and physical health. I appreciate your patience in waiting for Episode 2 (it's finally out and I am hard at work on Epi 3) and hope to have another episode out in a week or two. I'm pretty sure that the next two episodes will take a little while but the moment I get to the crossover I'll hit a stride (becuase let's face it, the crossover is one of the most anticipated parts of this season!) and they'll pop out. I may get the Halloween Episode out on time but I can't make promises...though I may just switch the order with Official Ransom to get it in there. We should be fully caught up by Christmas-ish (Hopefully) but like I said...no promises.**

**Thanks for your patience and, as always...  
**

**Enjoy the Ride,**

**Ckorkows**

Walker, Texas Ranger Season 9

August 28 - **WTR 9-1 RARE EDITION** - Walker and Alex take Angela to visit her grandfather in Southern Texas, leaving the other Rangers to deal with a string of robberies involving high-priced, rare-edition books that have been on tour through Texas libraries. Can the Rangers stop the burglars before the biggest heist - a $200k copy of the Bible - is committed? And who is that hobo in the corner?

**September 4 - WTR 9-2 ZOOT SUIT RIOT – Trivette reveals a new side of himself when he and Erika enter a large Lindy-Hop (swing) competition. While the advanced competition is under 'swing', a large riot breaks out amongst the fans. Can the Rangers pacify the situation before one of their own is hurt?**

September 11 - WTR 9-3 **RENAISSANCE RANGERS** – A murdered man leads the Rangers to investigate a local Renaissance festival where they discover that the apothecary may be selling more than old time herbs and remedies.

September 18 - WTR 9-4 **DEVOTION** – When a local crime-boss decides to roll over on the competition, the Rangers offer him full protection. Unfortunately, nobody tells his junky girlfriend that things are going to be okay. What ensues when this woman shows a level of devotion the Rangers have only seen in one man? Can they stop her before she hurts anyone…or ruins the case?

September 25 - WTR 9-5 **UNITED JUSTICE PART 1** - _CROSSOVER WITH NCIS_ – The Texas Rangers get involved with the Director of NCIS when they stumble upon a case involving a marine. When one of the Rangers impresses the Director she'll get an offer that she can't refuse. What happens when another retired marine shows up dead and leads the Rangers to a joint investigation of one Zedediah Schmit, leader of an unusual Hate Organization? **Part 1** - A certain Ranger receives a job offer at the end of a particularly trying case and has to decide whether life in Dallas, with a certain partner, is more important than such a big career move.

October 2 - WTR 9-6 **UNITED JUSTICE PART 2** - _CROSSOVER WITH NCIS_ - The Texas Rangers get involved with the Director of NCIS when they stumble upon a case involving a marine. When one of the Rangers impresses the Director she'll get an offer that she can't refuse. What happens when another retired marine shows up dead and leads the Rangers to a joint investigation of one Zedediah Schmit, leader of an unusual Hate Organization? **Part 2 - **Gibbs didn't want a new team member, and now he's got one. When several retired marines turn up slaughtered, Gibbs will have to rely on a complete stranger to solve this case. And what will the ex-marine do when the case leads him back to his new team-member's roots?

October 9 - WTR 9-7 **UNITED JUSTICE PART 3** - _CROSSOVER WITH NCIS_ - The Texas Rangers get involved with the Director of NCIS when they stumble upon a case involving a marine. When one of the Rangers impresses the Director she'll get an offer that she can't refuse. What happens when another retired marine shows up dead and leads the Rangers to a joint investigation of one Zedediah Schmit, leader of an unusual Hate Organization? **Part 3 - **The Rangers travel to D.C to work with NCIS on a joint case involving a special type of hate group. When this newly broken team runs into an old friend, emotions threaten to overrun reason as the two teams struggle to get to their enemy in time to stop him from blowing up a VA hospital.

October 16 - WTR 9-8 **UNITED JUSTICE PART 4** - _CROSSOVER WITH NCIS FINALE_ - The Texas Rangers get involved with the Director of NCIS when they stumble upon a case involving a marine. When one of the Rangers impresses the Director she'll get an offer that she can't refuse. What happens when another retired marine shows up dead and leads the Rangers to a joint investigation of one Zedediah Schmit, leader of an unusual Hate Organization? **Part 4 **- Both teams follow Zedediah Schmit to Dallas, as the two teams close in on their suspect, one team member struggles to find balance between her old life and her new one.

October 23 - WTR 9-9 **OFFICIAL RANSOM** – Alex Cahill finally gets her dream job – DA of Tarrant County, but her first day in office she finds herself being held up for the release of several criminals. Can the Rangers bust Alex out of her new office before the kidnappers get what they want?

October 30 - WTR 9-10 _SPECIAL HALLOWEEN EPISODE_ - **EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS** - Mictecacihuatl, Lady of the Dead, is leaving her mark over the three day celebration of the dead. The Rangers begin to stumble upon Dia De Los Muertos altars that are set up near and around their homes at midnight on October 30th. Altars complete with bones that relate to a certain closed case. Can the Rangers decipher her messages before she shares her fate with one of their own?

November 6 - WTR 9-11 **GOAL!** – Sydney heads out of town with the HOPE center's soccer team the weekend before she's set to testify against a local businessman. Believing that her testimony is the key to his demise, the businessman sends out a few associates to guarantee she won't show up to the trial. Can Walker and his team rescue Syd and the kids in time for the big game?

November 13 - WTR 9-12 – **PARTY CRASHERS** – Alex plans a simple ladies night out for Erika's bachelorette party and the girls head out to a local nightclub for some dancing. When a group of male strippers crash the party the girls become the bait for Trivette and the boys. Who is pulling the strings on this little puppet show?

November 20 - WTR 9-13 – **A PICTURE'S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS – **Walker and Sydney go undercover as an agent and model duo to solve a case involving badly beaten models and a new website called "Broken Beauties" which features sadistic pictures. When a photo shoot with their primary suspect leaves the Rangers empty-handed, they believe the case has run cold…until Sydney receives a mysterious phone call in the dead of night offering her the modeling job of a lifetime. Will Walker get her urgent voicemail in time?

November 27 - WTR 9-14 – **TIL DEATH DO US PART** – Someone's hijacked the Trivette's limousine as they take off on their honeymoon. Can Walker and the Rangers find their friends before the newlyweds realize their vows all too soon?

December 4 - WTR 9-15 – **FEVER **- With Trivette and Erika off on their honeymoon, and the HOPE center staff busy with preparations for their Adopt-A-Family Christmas project, Alex needs someone to babysit Angela. Walker volunteers his staff for the job and leaves the Junior Rangers with a very sick, very grumpy baby. When the kid's fever spikes the two Rangers rush her to an Urgent Care Hospital, getting themselves, and the Walkers' baby, into a sticky situation when a local gang decides to lay claim to the small hospital. (Sydney coughs at the end…hinting at next episode's epidemic)

December 11 - WTR 9-16 - **SHOCK** - Sydney's been feeling a little under the weather of late but she isn't letting that stop her from participating in the Adopt-A-Family project with the HOPE center. However, when she is discovered unconscious in the HOPE center basement, she is rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a disease that puts the entire city of Dallas on bio-terrorism alert. Walker and the Rangers must find out if Sydney was the only one infected, or if Dallas has been on the wrong end of an anthrax attack!

December 18 - WTR 9-17 –** LAREDO **– With Sydney fighting for her life in the hospital, the Rangers must continue to work without her. A meth lab explodes during a DPD bust, and the Rangers are called in to help take down the men responsible for the explosion.

December 25 - WTR 9- 18 _SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EPISODE_ – **PRAYERS** – A little girl shows up at Ranger headquarters, claiming that some bad men had her mommy and were going to kill her. The Rangers work to find and save the missing mother while one of their own lies dying in the hospital.

January 1 - WTR 9-19 _SPECIAL NEW YEARS EPISODE_ - **COUNTDOWN** - The clock is ticking. Actually, a lot of clocks are ticking. Timers, grandfather clocks, coo-koo clocks, watches, wall mounted clocks, and one big bronze clock that seems to be moving backwards. Somebody has filled Ranger Headquarters with a warning, but what could these clocks be counting down to?

January 8 - WTR 9-20 – **PET PEEVES - **The Rangers take down a group of young men for a bank robbery and discover something unexpected in the backyard – a fight ring, and dozens of Staffordshire terriers in cages and on chains. Walker and his team take a stance against such travesties, working to take down the other local rings and to promote awareness among the community.

January 15 - WTR 9-21 – **BUCKING BRONCO** - The Rodeo's back in town and bringing with it the usual amount of trouble. The Rangers help out local law enforcement to protect citizens from their own rowdiness and get involved in a very different sort of case when one of the broncos dies. Autopsy reveals that the horse was being used as a mule for LDS. It's up to the Rangers to find out who is responsible for this horse's death, and how many other animals are packed with this illegal substance?

January 22 - WTR 9-22 - **PANDEMONIUM** - When a convicted serial killer escapes prison and leaves behind a blood-smeared warning – I'm Back! – the Rangers are ordered by the governor to hunt down this killer and stop him before chaos erupts, but with an entire city full of people, where do they start?

January 29 - WTR 9-23 - **DUALITY** – A new weapons dealer is in town and Walker needs a couple of dirty cops he can trust to get the evidence he needs to take him down. So he sends his two Junior Rangers undercover...as themselves.

February 5 - WTR 9-24 - **SEASON FINALE** (_MAYBE PART 1 OF 2 IF INTEREST IN TENTH SEASON IS SHOWN_)

_**For more information on season 9 episodes, to chat about what you want to see in this long-awaited season, and to find teasers, polls, and challenges, check out the special Walker, Texas Ranger forum at: FanFiction .net/forum/Walker_Texas_Ranger_Season_9/77543/ **_

_**Thanks all, please vote in my poll (on my profile and in the forum) and check out the forum to let me know how you feel about this season's emotional line-up! And, as always…**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_

**Because there has been some confusion - **

**To: Walker Texas Ranger (who reviewed) and other confused fans - This is Ckorkows**  
**I am aware that WTR has already ended. **_**I plan on writing this season.**_** I am sorry for any confusion you may have suffered. And anyone else for that matter.**  
**To make things perfectly clear...**  
**Chuck Norris and the original writing team have nothing to do with this season. All plot ideas are original to the author (me) and I am simply borrowing the main characters from the original show. There is going to be no time lapse between the final season of the original WTR and my season, at least no more than a few months, and this will most likely never end up on TV. I am going to use all normal disclaimers that we here at FanFiction use, so please understand that this is simply a joy-ride season for those of us who really wished it would have continued...nothing more. **

**Having said that I hope you all come take a look at the director's notes (that's me also) and teasers that are up in the WTR Forums. I plan on having episode 1 teasers up very soon and I have two polls you all can vote on. Not to mention a FanChat area for ya'll to get to know one another (and me) better and I may issue a challenge or two later on...maybe even one before the season premiere. We'll see. So check out the forum, review my episode guide (which is complete, the finale is going to remain a mystery.), and help me keep my hair in my head where it belongs! And, as always...**

**Enjoy the Ride,**

**Ckorkows**


	2. Episode 9 1 : Rare Edition

**Walker, Texas Ranger – 9.1 – Rare Edition**

_**Walker and Alex take Angela to visit her grandfather in Southern Texas, leaving the other Rangers to deal with a string of robberies involving high-priced, rare-edition books that were on tour through Texas libraries. Can the Rangers stop the burglars before the biggest heist - **__**a **__**$200k copy of the Bible**____**- is committed? And who is that hobo in the corner?**_

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A single car rolled past the building, its occupants too invested in their private conversation to notice the blue beams of light that flickered across rows of books and cream-colored walls in the second story windows of the library. The lights blinked off and the taillights meandered out of sight, the driver and passenger blissfully unaware of the chaos that was about to ensue. The street settled into empty silence, the whole block seeming to suck in its breath - from the sudden hush at a nearby nightclub to the muted television in the neighbor's house - waiting as the minutes ticked by.

The blaring alarm seemed to rouse the occupants of the nearby buildings. The over-pronounced wailing tugging the occupants to their doors and out into the street as two shadows flickered out a side-door and down the alleyway, disappearing from view just as the red and blues raced toward the scene of the crime.

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Sydney's hip was perched on her partner's desk, her head bent over the little pink bundle of blankets that was wiggling in her arms. Gage stood behind his desk, bent over it far enough to tuck his head over his partner's shoulder, beaming down into the bright blue orbs and chubby cheeks of his boss's daughter.

Gage's voice was low and happy as it whispered across his partner's neck, "She's so quiet. I always thought babies were noisy and obnoxious."

Sydney smiled softly, one of her forefingers held in the vice-like grip of a tiny fist, "Your parents probably told you that because you were noisy and obnoxious as a child."

Angela cooed up at the two faces above her, waving her finger-filled-fist around like an orchestra conductor as Gage scoffed at his partner, "I'll have you know that I was the calmest, most quiet child on the planet! My mom praised me for being so good after Julie. She, now she, was a monster baby!"

Sydney squinted her eyes to make a face at the baby, gently fighting for control of her finger, "Mmmm-Hmmm…" Angela released her finger and Sydney tickled the child's cheek with it, "Like we're going to believe that, huh Angela?"

Trivette, Walker, and Alex were standing across the room at Walker's desk, Trivette listening with a wide grin spreading across his face as Walker told him all about the paperwork, and the speed dials, and the case files…

Alex was gently tugging at her husband's arm, eager to get going as he listed several other housekeeping things to his partner, "Honey, I'm sure Jimmy knows where the staples are. We've got to get going or we'll miss our flight. And you know how excited daddy is to see us. They can handle it; we're only going to be gone for a week."

Walker glanced up at his wife as he was completing his list, "Alex…"

Alex gently pulled Walker away from the desk, smiling up at his rugged face as she winked at Trivette, "It's only a week. How bad can this place get in a week?"

Trivette broke out into a full-on grin, chuckling at the reluctant look on his partner's face before patting him on the shoulder, "Go on. I promise not to file McMann where MacMann belongs."

Walker eyed his partner with mock worry, smiling slightly as his eyes wandered past the younger man and settled on his two Junior Rangers, "Hey, I believe we need that."

Sydney turned her body away from Walker, smiling at her boss and his wife as she cuddled the baby closer, "This? You want this? I'm afraid I can't let you have this…you see, it's the only thing that gets my partner to stop complaining about his stomach."

Walker chuckled and extracted his baby girl from the arms of his Junior Ranger as Gage teased her back. The two of them quickly ended their squabble and Sydney stood up to embrace the assistant D.A., wishing her a safe journey.

"Alex, you're really going to let him take you on a plane again?"

Alex smiled at her dark friend, giving the men a final hug as Walker slung the baby bag over his shoulder, "Oh…well, he did so well flying one last time…I figure if the pilots needed a break he could just step in."

Final hugs and Angela kisses were shared before Alex and Walker left. A happy quiet settled over the office as the three remaining Rangers said silent prayers for their friend's journey.

The sound of Walker's phone ringing broke the silence and Trivette snapped it up off the hook, "Trivette...kay…yup…be right there."

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Sydney and Gage followed Trivette through the library, stepping around the glass and tattered books that littered the second story as the Dallas Police Department officer filled them in on the robbery, "About twenty books ruined, none of them worth much or anything, and all the display cases on this floor were damaged."

Trivette nodded, glancing at one of the shattered cases as the officer led them around the second story, "Anything stolen?"

The officer stopped, motioning toward another broken case, "That's the kicker Ranger Trivette. There's only one book missing that the librarians know of - 'Casino Royale' first edition, inscribed by Ian Fleming."

Gage furrowed his brow, shrugging, "What's the big deal about that book? Why'd they take it and not the others…I mean, they're just books, right?"

Sydney smirked, glancing at the three men as they shared a baffled look before interjecting, "That wasn't just any book, Gage. It was a signed copy of a classic piece of literature and, if I'm not mistaken, was probably worth around $75,000 if it was in good condition. They knew their target."

Gage and Trivette turned to look at the Junior Ranger, glancing at each other before Trivette spoke, "Are you sure?"

Sydney was about to speak up when a new voice, soft and feminine, interrupted her, "Oh, you're good darlin'. Do you know how much time I spent trying to explain to people why that book was worth so much money? We were going to auction it off at the charity gala this weekend."

Sydney turned and found herself face to chest with a tall, beautiful brunette, "And you are?"

The DPD officer seemed to remember that he knew the woman and stepped into Sydney's peripheral vision, "This is Ms. Miriam Hawkins, one of the Reference librarians here. She's the one who's been filling us in on the damage. Ms. Hawkins, this is Rangers Cooke, Gage, and Trivette. They're gonna be helping us with this case, seein' how you've got that charity event this weekend."

Ms. Hawkins smiled sweetly down at the female Ranger, offering her hand in demure fashion, "It's nice to meet somebody as knowledgeable about books as I am, Ranger Cooke."

Sydney shook the hand proffered, thinking it was somewhat like shaking hands with a fish, and stepped out of the way so that her partner could shake hands with the lady, "It's just a hobby, and I saw your sign."

Ms. Hawkins smiled up at Gage, fluttering her eyelashes a little as she blushed, "Do you folk think you can get us that book back by the weekend?"

Trivette nudged Gage out of the way, "We're going to do everything we can, but I can't make any promises."

The librarian nodded, "I presumed as much. Well, I'm going to go catalog the damages and make some calls. If you need anything…"

She dipped two fingers below the ruffled collar of her blouse, scissoring a business card between them and drawing it out carefully, her green eyes watching the men's as they followed her every move. She turned and rolled her wrist toward the female Ranger, smiling at the pursed-lipped woman as she continued in a more pronounced southern drawl, "You can call me anytime."

Sydney raised an eyebrow as the woman sauntered off, holding the bleach-white business card between her thumb and forefinger as though it smelled. She held it out to her superior, "Here you go Trivette."

Trivette snapped his head from the enticing sway of the departing woman's derriere and smiled apologetically at Sydney, "Thanks. Officer Davis, I think that's all we need for now. If you get any leads give us a call will you?"

The officer nodded, "Sure will. We're just gonna finish up here and then let them clean this place up."

Sydney led the way out of the library, waiting until they were clear of the front doors to address Trivette, "So, what do you think?"

"I think we need to check a few things out. Gage, why don't you and Sydney look up similar burglaries, see if anybody else is missing some expensive chunks of literature. I'm going to check up on Ms. Hawkins… and the other librarians, to see if this could have been an inside job."

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Terrance Oldwell was a beast of a man. Standing at six and a half feet tall, the private investor was imposing at best. With his too-blonde hair and cold, German features, Terrance was a demanding force. He held himself aloft, his long fingers steepled in front of his chest as he glared at the two men in front of him.

"You lost it?"

The men shuffled their feet, heads bowed beneath their boss's intense blue gaze as they nodded. The smaller of the two men spoke first, "Yes sir. The bag got snagged on something while we were running. I didn't realize the book had dropped out until we got back here."

Terrance pursed his lips, his nostrils flaring in anger as he pictured the near-perfect copy of _Casino Royal _lying in the muddy streets of Dallas. "Did you go back for it?"

The other man nodded, lifting his head a little as if sensing that immediate danger had passed, "Yes sir, Mr. Oldwell. We searched everywhere except for behind the library…there were too many cops there. But they would have mentioned it on the news if they'd found it."

Oldwell turned away from his incompetent help, his blue eyes sweeping over the dozens of priceless books that lined his shelves. His library was his most loved possession, boasting one of the most impressive collections of priceless literature in all of the United States. And since he'd discovered a way to add to his collection without draining his coffers…well, it was probably the best private collection in all of North America.

He sighed deeply, dropping his hands to his sides as he addressed the two men cowering behind him. "Well, I guess we'll have to let that one go. I've got another job for you."

Turning, he stared his minions down, glancing into the two non-descript faces as he calculated their fear, "But you'll have to prove I can trust you with it."

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Trivette strolled into the office, Stetson in hand. Sydney was at her computer, typing fervently, and Gage was leaning over his partner, his nose barely inches away from her ear as he checked her work. The fact that the two partners looked good together crossed Trivette's mind briefly as he too approached Sydney's desk to see what she was working on. He shook the thought out of his mind and raised an eyebrow in question when Sydney's dark eyes met his.

Sydney glanced up at Trivette and answered his unspoken question, "Six libraries have been robbed over the past four months. All of them have the same MO – one or two collector's books taken and no damage other than the smashed display cases. Every book has been worth more than ten thousand dollars. One, a first edition signed copy of _Peter the Rabbit,_ was worth over a hundred grand. Whoever's behind this really knows their business."

Gage chimed in, finishing his partner's report with practiced ease, "We've been checking out local libraries that have collector's edition books. If the robbers are going to strike again we've narrowed it down to three choices for the next hit: The county library downtown is borrowing several books from a private collector for their English Literature display, a small private-owned library is hosting an auction that will feature several dozen first edition copies of _Old Man in the Sea_…"

Sydney cut in, her eyes bright as she pointed at her computer screen, "But the big fish, the one I'd go for if I were going to rob a library…is at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library. They've received a recent anonymous donation of one of the rarest books on earth – A scribed copy of the Holy Bible from the early 1800s. It's worth almost $200,000."

Trivette's eyes lit up, he looked from one partner to another as he calculated the next step in the case. Smirking a little he turned away, "Good work. I've gotta call Walker. Gage, why don't you give the MLK library a call, tell them we want to set up a meeting tomorrow. Don't tell them why just yet."

Gage nodded and headed off to his desk. Sydney cocked her head in Trivette's direction, "What should I do?"

Trivette smirked, flipping a business card in the Junior Ranger's direction before turning on his heel. "Give Ms. Hawkins a call, I think we'll need to consult with her on this one."

Sydney rolled her eyes and turned toward her phone. _ Men_.

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Walker was standing in the middle of the kitchen on a foldable chair. His big, scarred hands cradled a light bulb in them as he leaned precariously forward and replaced a blacked out bulb in the Cahill home. Standing under him was a distressed looking Alex, muttering words of encouragement and help to her husband as her father looked on from the couch.

"That's good Walker. Thank you."

Walker looked over at his father-in-law and smiled before stepping off the chair. He was about to respond with an 'anytime' when his cell-phone rang. Nodding his head in apology he flipped his phone open. "Walker."

"Hey Walker, it's Trivette."

Walker grinned and moved towards the porch, taking his conversation away from the muted one his wife held with her father. "How's it going? Is Ranger Headquarters still standing?"

Trivette laughed and glanced around him, his feet propped up on his partner's desk as he aimed paper airplanes at Sydney's trashcan across the room. "Barely. You know that library case? We still haven't gotten any leads but Sydney and Gage pinpointed the most likely target for the next robbery."

Walker ran a hand through his hair, contemplation evident on his face by the hard set of his mouth and the wrinkled brow. "You wanna send someone in?"

"Yeah. I was thinking MLK could use another librarian. We've got Dan running facial recognition on the library tapes. I think they're casing the place before they rob it. If we could find out when they're going to rob it we could set up a sting during the next robbery."

Walker nodded, turning back to the small ranch-style home and watching his child's grandfather cradle her in his arms, "Do it."

Trivette smiled, "Okay Walker. You have fun down there."

Walker snapped his phone closed and strolled into the living room with purpose, "Hey. I think it's time for lunch."

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Ms. Hawkins stood in her pencil skirt and blouse, too-high heels tapping against the tile flooring of the locker room as she eyed her creation. Her bright red lips curled into a smile and she grabbed Sydney's hand, tugging the stumbling woman out of the room and into the gym where Gage and Trivette began to whistle good-naturedly.

Sydney frowned as she stood in front of her colleagues with her hair pinned up high on her head, exposing the sensual curve of her neck as it disappeared into a plain white button up that wasn't buttoned up as high as she would like. The length of blouse pulled in tight at her waist, tucked into a tight grey pencil skirt that accentuate her womanly curves and revealed too much stockinged leg. She sighed as the other Rangers in the gym recognized her and began to give out hoots and hollers. The outfit she could handle. She'd worn so much less so often that this tight, straight-out-of-a-fantasy get up didn't bug her one bit. It was the heels, those danged six inch kitten heels, that got to her. How was a woman supposed to fight crime in stilettos?

Sydney shot Trivette a searing look, "I'm not wearing it. What was wrong with my other outfit?"

Trivette gulped. Unable to come up with an answer he glanced at Ms. Hawkins. When he'd asked the librarian to make the Junior Ranger into a librarian, he had meant teach her how to check books in and out. Now…he glanced over at the new 'librarian's' partner, knowing that Gage's Adams apple was bobbing at the same rate his probably was. Well, now…now he had a librarian that was something out of a young man's dream. And she still hadn't learned how to check books in and out yet.

Miriam noticed that the two men were unable to say anything and she turned on her own pair of kitten heels, reaching out a hand to wipe a stray hair out of the Latina Ranger's face, "Your other outfit didn't say 'come hither'. If you want to get a good look at the robbers' faces, you're going to have to be distracting enough to get them to come to you honey. Trust me, there's so much work to do at a library you'll hardly notice that you're wearing that at all."

Sydney frowned further. Taking a wobbly step away from the curvaceous brunette she sent a pleading look to Jimmy, hoping that he'd change his mind on letting the librarian help them. Trivette missed the look as he seemed to be trying to look everywhere but at her so she shot her partner, whose face was pinched tight as if holding back laughter, the same look.

Gage wasn't bothering not to stare. This was his partner and she looked damn fine in the librarian getup. He grinned good-naturedly at Sydney, "No worries partner, you won't need to chase anyone down looking like that. You'll knock 'em dead."

Sydney scowled and stalked back into the locker room, intent on changing to go home. She was not wearing this outside of Ranger Headquarters. …At least, not until her new 'job' started tomorrow.

Miriam glanced at the two flustered officers underneath thick, dark lashes, batting her eyes a little to re-focus the attention. Both Rangers seemed to be lost in la-la-land so she simply strolled over to a spot between them and turned her head to give each of them a peck on the cheek.

"I'm glad you called me to help. If you need anything else…"

Trivette cleared his throat, smiling awkwardly at the lush librarian as regret for calling her at all settled over him like a gloomy cloud, "Will do. Do you know the way out?"

Miriam glanced at the handsome blonde Ranger. Seeing his eyes were still focused on the door his partner had disappeared into she decided he was a lost cause and turned away, hips swaying as she headed toward the elevator. "I think I can find it. Thanks Rangers."

Sydney came out of the locker room in her normal digs, glancing at her superior as she held her outfit loosely in one arm. "Trivette, please tell me I don't have to wear this."

Trivette shrugged and turned away smirking. Sydney sighed with defeat and slugged her partner on the shoulder, tossing 'good nights' across the gym before heading home. Gage shook himself out of his reverie and met Trivette's eye. Sydney was either going to fit in perfectly or…

"She'll look like a fool."

Trivette nodded, eyeing the new librarian's partner clinically as he came up with a plan to save his Junior Ranger from humiliation. "You think she needs backup?"

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The Martin Luther King Jr. Library was an impressive building. Featuring several thousand square feet stocked with materials ranging from magazines to full on anthologies, the library was a virtual maze of information. Sydney's heels clicked on the marble flooring as she made her way toward the circulation desk, tugging at the hem of her skirt as though she were a lot less dressed than she actually was.

The other librarians barely glanced at the new addition to the staff, simply pointing her in the direction of the supervisor's office when she opened her mouth to ask. The supervisor resided in a small office tucked behind fake walls in the center of the first floor. The 'office' had no door and Sydney stood on the threshold of the opening in the carpeted walls, tapping lightly on them and clearing her throat to announce her presence.

James Tucker unfolded himself from his desk, his muscular frame straightening to its full six feet as he smiled at his newest employee. Sydney blushed as the man's green eyes traveled over her body, pausing to appreciate her very accentuated curves. She took a moment to appreciate the sturdy length of him; masculine muscle all bundled up in nerdy clothing and topped off with wire frame glasses.

Shaking his head as though clearing some cobwebs, the circulation supervisor extended his hand, "Ms. Cooke. You're very prompt."

Sydney smiled as she withdrew her hand from the mammoth one that had held it. "Well, I try."

"I am James Tucker, your unofficial welcoming committee and official supervisor for the extent of your employment here at MLK. I've been briefed on your assignment and, per orders from higher than you and me, have told the staff you are a temporary loan from one of the county libraries."

Sydney nodded. Even though the staff at every library was different, the Rangers still couldn't be sure that the robberies weren't an inside job because it was fairly common to 'trade' librarians for big events such as rare book festivals. "Great. Well, since you've got me for at least a couple of days," she lifted her dark eyes up to meet her new supervisor's face, unaware of the double entendre that was escaping her bright-red lips, "I suppose you should put me to work. Where do you want me?"

James laughed, the sound deep and pleasant, and placed a friendly hand on Sydney's shoulder. "Well, do you know the Library of Congress system?"

Sydney nodded again, noticing that James was steering her away from the circulation computers and toward a yellow library cart bursting with books.

James continued with a smirk, noticing the determined set in the Ranger's jaw as they neared the cart. He dropped his voice low so the other librarians wouldn't hear, "I know shelving materials isn't as interesting as high speed chases and gun fights. But I've pulled almost every book on the second floor so you'll be able to spot your suspects."

Sydney hid a smile beneath a wave of hair. The man was smart. Giving her new boss one last cursory glance she slid behind the cart and started pushing. She had meant what she said- she would do whatever it took to do her 'job', even if it didn't get her adrenaline pumping.

The undercover Ranger made herself pass the ancient copy of the Holy Bible several times before she allowed herself to stop and stare. The book was displayed in your average everyday glass case, literature and signs that detailed the book in depth were displayed around the worn, handwritten copy. Sydney let herself get lost in the magic of the book for a moment. Standing with her face not two inches away from the glass she took in the leather work and worn pages. The book was opened to 1 John 5:12 and Sydney felt her heart beating faster as she imagined the monk who, 200 years ago, sat stooped by candle light and re-wrote the words that must have been so familiar to him: _He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life._

A human presence close behind Sydney had her jerking out of her reverie and tensing up. With her face so close to the glass and the man - for she was certain that the vile smelling human was a man - within inches of her back, the Junior Ranger had nowhere to turn.

Pasting a friendly smile on her face she took half a step back, attempting to gain some room. When her shoulder bumped into the solid chest of the unmoving patron, Sydney spoke politely, "Beautiful isn't it?"

Sydney felt the man behind her shrug and heard a familiar voice ring out from underneath the stench of garbage, "Eh. It's just a book. You can't even read this one."

Sydney whirled around and wrinkled her nose, frowning at the hobo with brilliant blue eyes, "Gage! You scared me." She punched his arm and pushed him back, "What are you doing here?"

Gage smiled down at his partner, the strong lines of his face hidden by an itchy beard and tattered baseball cap. Glancing around to make sure none of the other patrons were paying them any attention he tugged at the hem of his tattered blue-jean shirt. "Well, Trivette thought you could use some back up. I thought up the cover all by myself."

Sydney laughed, "Now that I believe!" She pushed her partner further back and walked toward her cart, preparing herself for another tedious hour of shelving. Tossing a last glance over her shoulder she shook her head at her partner, "Did you have to roll in garbage though?"

Gage chuckled and settled back into the chair and desk he'd arranged for himself. Gage had chosen his perch so that he would have the best seat in the house to observe the library patrons and the Bible. Tugging his baseball cap low over his eyes as he settled into a position vaguely resembling sleep and started his 'stakeout'.

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Dan Johnson watched the faces flash by on the screens. He had his computers running comps on security tapes from all seven robberies and was waiting for the obnoxious beep that would alert him to a common face. His light grey eyes scanned over the rolling footage. Never satisfied with letting the machines do all the work, Dan searched every face on the tapes, waiting for the one face that would set off his mental alarms.

On the third screen, two men walked into one of the public libraries and glanced up at the camera. Dan searched the scowling faces on the two stocky men, his mind conjuring up the image of these same two men strolling into another of the victimized libraries not ten minutes earlier. Pressing pause on the new tape, Dan swung around to a second screen and rewound it until he saw the same two faces peeking up at the eye in the sky.

Grinning broadly, Dan reached for the phone. "Ranger Trivette, I've got your guys."

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Trivette brought up the profiles on James Tucker's office computer. Sydney stretched over the back of Trivette's chair, James Tucker peering over her shoulder and causing her to flush slightly as she memorized the two dark faces staring out at her. Gage was on the other side of the desk, standing upright with his arms crossed over his chest as he peered pointedly at the computer screen. The two men from the previous robberies were frozen on the screen, looking directly into the camera as they had at every other library. They'd shown up a day before the Rangers started their cover.

James' breath tickled Sydney's ear, "So those are your guys? They don't look like criminal masterminds."

Trivette glanced at Gage and shrugged, "They probably aren't the masterminds, they just do the footwork. What do you think Gage?"

Gage shrugged, too busy contemplating why he felt an unreasonable rush of jealousy to see James Tucker so near his partner to really care who the hell the two men on the screen were. "Probably just do the footwork." He parroted.

James nodded, smiling, "So are you going to find them and arrest them?"

Sydney shook her head, "No. If we want to find out who they're stealing for we have to wait for them to break into the library. We don't have enough evidence to get an arrest warrant as is."

Trivette pressed the print button and the erased the faces from the screen. Taking a deep breath he made to stand, "Mr. Tucker, I'm going to have to recommend that Sydney, Gage, and I begin staking out the library tonight."

James nodded backing up to allow the two Rangers space to move around. "Tell you what, I'll let you in right before the library closes and you can camp out here."

Gage scowled as his partner smiled up at James, grabbing his keys he sent a controlled smile in the direction of the Supervisor and raised an eyebrow at his partner. "You ready? We'd better head home and get some rest before tonight."

James' smile fell and he stepped further away from Sydney, missing the angry glance she threw at her partner as he stuck his hand out, "Well. I'll see you Rangers this evening then."

Trivette took the hand proffered, all too aware of the sudden tension in the room as Sydney stalked out after her partner. He smiled politely and wished James Tucker a good afternoon before following the Junior Rangers out of the office.

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The moment the Rangers got to their car, Sydney turned on Gage. "What was that?"

Gage shrugged, bewildered, "What?"

Sydney huffed and got into the car, careful to slam the door on the orange Chevy, "That. In there. You know…"

Gage shook his head and threw the car into reverse, "No, Syd, I don't know."

Sydney growled, "You made it seem like we were…like you were…you know."

"What? No!"

Sydney folded her arms across her chest and looked out the window, her lips pursed as she watched the traffic go by. Gage drove, silent, until a thought dawned on him.

"Wait. Are you meaning to say that you…you _like_ him?"

Sydney scoffed, glancing at her now grinning partner as he regained that all-so-annoying confidence, "No." _Well, yes_. She thought. _Not that it's any of your business. _"But that's not the point."

Gage ran a hand through his hair, trying to calculate how long it had been since his partner had been mad at him for no particular reason. "If that isn't the point, then what is?"

"You can't act like we're together unless you're willing to be..." She blurted it out so fast that she surprised herself. The flush creeping up her neck was a definite sign of her embarrassment and Gage felt himself getting hot as the car fell into an uncomfortable silence.

The rest of the car ride went by quietly. Sydney sat staring out the window and refusing  
to look at Gage and he simply held onto the wheel with white-knuckled grip as he flew through the Dallas traffic towards Sydney's suburb.

When they got to her house Sydney snapped open her seatbelt and ripped open the door, determined to get away as fast as possible, but Gage stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

His blue eyes were apologetic as they met hers. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Sydney shrugged, effectively dislodging her partners hand as she felt the embarrassment ebb. She smiled sadly and yawned, "Me too. You go get some rest and I'll see you in a couple of hours."

Gage sat on the curb until his partner made it into her house. When the front door shut behind her retreating form he revved his engine and honked goodbye, only outwardly content with the end of their conversation.

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The Martin Luther King Jr. Library was at the end of a well-lit street. At ten after eleven, a small, grey sedan parked at one of the bars down the street. Two men got out of the car and walked into the bar; releasing a short burst of noise into the street before they disappeared. A couple of minutes later the back door opened and two figures, dressed in black, slunk out of the joint and began a slow jog through the alleys toward the library.

The back door of the library was conquered with a lock-picking set and a lot of luck. The small window remained intact as the two wraiths took one last look around before slipping into the unlit building.

.Two beams of blue-white light flickered on and danced across the painted walls of the hallway, marking the progress of the two figures as they made their way up the stairs and toward the display case. When they reached the glass case, one man dropped a bag on the ground and began to dig through it while the other one, seemingly impatient, raised his flashlight and brought it down on the glass.

His progress was stopped by a firm hand on his wrist and the petrifying sound of a female's voice, "Texas Rangers."

The lights flashed on, James Tucker flicking them on to reveal his Christmas morning grin as Gage and Trivette dashed forward from their hiding places. Gage reached the squatting man first and floored him with a roundhouse kick before he could even stand. The man in Sydney's grasp dropped his flashlight and allowed Trivette to wrestle his other hand behind his back.

They were both handcuffed and hunched up on the floor in less than a minute. Trivette stood in front of them with a frown on his face, "Tulley and Pickins. Do you know what your mistake was?"

The two men scowled up at the Ranger, defiance returning to their faces. The bigger one, Pickins, smirked a little, "Just take us in Ranger. We ain't talking."

Gage squatted next to Tulley and forced eye contact. "We have both of you on eight different security tapes on the day of each library robbery." He glanced up at his partner and smiled, "How much time do you think they'll serve for that Ranger Cooke?"

Sydney shrugged, "Well Gage, I'd say about twenty years each. But this one," she bent down in front of Tulley and tut-tutted, "you know, assaulting an officer will add another five…maybe ten years onto that sentence for you."

Tulley sputtered, shaking his head, "Hey, wait a minute…I didn't assault nobody."

James, leaning against the wall and unable to stop smiling, butted in, "I saw you take a swing at Ranger Cooke. That's definitely assault."

Trivette nodded, "And resisting arrest. You assaulted an officer and resisted arrest. You're going away for a long time buddy."

Tulley opened and closed his mouth several times, glancing at each Rangers face before speaking, resignation settling over him. "What do you want?"

Pickings rammed his shoulder into his partner, shooting him a warning look, "Shut up Tulley."

Sydney shook her head, pushing Pickins away as she kept her eyes locked with Tulley's, "Who hired you? You tell us that and I'll convince the DA that you weren't with Pickins when he robbed the other libraries."

Tulley ignored the angry rant that erupted from his partner in crime, "Okay."

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Terrance Oldwell was sitting in his office with a couple of buddies, waiting up for the newest addition to his library like an expectant father. He had lit a cigar and it sat smoldering in an ashtray as he paced alongside the back wall. Occasionally he'd reach for a book on the shelves and flip through its pages before shoving it, none too gently, back into its place.

He was just reaching for his cigar again when a knock sounded at the door. Smiling broadly he moved behind his desk, "Come in."

Gage strolled through the double doors and into the office, smiling questioningly at the dominating figure behind the desk, "Terrance Oldwell?"

The man snarled and locked eyes with his henchmen, waiting for them to encircle the stranger before speaking. "Who wants to know?"

Gage shrugged, flipping his jacket open to reveal the star, "Texas Rangers."

"Get him!"

Gage whirled around to meet one of the men head on, catching his fist in one hand and twisting it so the dropped to his knees. A second man came up behind Gage and was about to grab him when a bullet of a woman knocked into him full force. Sydney faced off with the second guy and ducked a couple of punches, aware of the third Ranger, Trivette, circling around her to cut off Oldwell's retreat.

Gage released the man's hand and tried to kick him, missing as the man rolled backwards and stood up to release a barrage of punches into his chest. He took the punches with a grunt and managed to block a few of them, landing an uppercut into the man's jaw when his defense opened up.

Trivette grabbed onto Terrance's retreating shoulder and ducked the ham-sized fist that flew his direction as the bigger man whirled around. Trivette took the opportunity to duck under Terrance's arm and grab him around the waist, using his own body to plow his opponent into the wall of bookcases. Terrance let out a whoosh of air as he slammed into the shelves and took a moment too long to recover. A roundhouse to the gut had him doubling over and a second kick to the side of the head dropped the man.

Sydney and Gage both had their opponents in custody and Gage smiled over at the huffing Senior Ranger, "Is it true that the bigger they are, the harder they fall?"

Trivette wrinkled his nose, "Ha Ha."

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The Ranger Headquarters was bustling with activity as librarians and private collectors bombarded the Rangers with questions about their stolen items. Sydney, Gage, and Trivette were in a quiet corner of the Headquarters conversing with the DPD officer from the 'Casino Royale' robbery.

The officer shook Gage and Trivette's hands, "I can't believe you recovered all that stolen property."

Gage grinned, "Well, it didn't take us long to figure out that Oldwell had been 'borrowing' books from private collectors long before he started stealing from libraries. There were over twenty stolen books in his collection, totaling over $400,000."

The DPD officer nodded, "And you managed to locate all the owners? That's amazing."

Trivette shrugged, "It'd be more amazing if we'd found all the missing books."

"Oh?"

Trivette continued, "It seems that our robbers 'lost' the public library's copy of 'Casino Royale'. Oldwell claims that it never came into his possession."

The officer glanced at the three Rangers, frowning, "Are you going to continue to look for it?"

Gage shook his head, glancing at his suspiciously quiet partner as her gaze wandered off across the room, "No. We don't have any leads so the best we can do is put out a BOLO and wait for it to pop up."

The man sighed, "What a shame. You know, that library really needed the proceeds from that auction."

Sydney walked away from the conversation, her eyes glued to a woman who was ferociously arguing with another of the Rangers. Speeding up her steps she reached a hand out to touch the conservatively dressed blonde's shoulder.

"Excuse me miss, can I help you?"

The woman whirled around, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips as she glared at Sydney. She closed her eyes and pulled herself together, a taut smile appearing on her face before she reopened them.

"Yes. I've been trying to tell this…man…over here that I need to recover a book that was stolen from my library."

Sydney frowned, "Who are you?"

The women rolled her eyes, "You know. That's the only question I've heard all day. I have an auction tomorrow that has no headlining item and my staff is still trying to learn my name." She took another deep breath and shook her head, "I'm sorry. It's just that Miriam Hawkins was heading the auction and she quit unexpectedly yesterday, the board placed the job of retrieving the book and handling the auction on my shoulders and up until now nobody has been able to tell me how to do that. My name is…"

Sydney placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, her eyes flashing as she interrupted, "Miriam Hawkins quit? The reference librarian?"

The blonde nodded, furrowing her brow, "Yes. And she left this whole mess to me. Can you help me reclaim the book?"

Sydney nodded, not quite smiling as she escorted the woman to a chair, "You know... I was just going to go fetch that for you. Why don't you wait here and have a cup of coffee." She turned to where her partner was eyeing her from the corner, "Gage…do we still have that business card Ms. Hawkins gave us?"

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Miriam Hawkins was packing. Her kitten heels were slung over her fingers as she quickly stuffed as much makeup and clothing into the hulking piece of luggage as possible. The sound of a knock at her door had a small squeak escaping her painted lips before she calmed herself.

The woman standing on the other side of the door had an eyebrow cocked expectantly as she gazed through the peephole and, seemingly, into Miriam's soul.

Pasting a smile on her face, Ms. Hawkins tugged the door open, "Ranger Cooke, what are you doing here?"

Sydney smiled and stepped into the apartment uninvited, casting a cursory glance at the open luggage as she responded, "I just thought you'd like to know that 'Casino Royale' was never recovered. Apparently the perps lost it on the way home."

Smiling nervously, Miriam followed Sydney's gaze to her bookshelf, "Oh? Well…that's too bad. You know, they really could have used the money that book would have generated at the auction."

Sydney nodded, maneuvering around the librarian and circling her apartment, "Yes. I heard that you had quit. It seems rather sudden too, considering you were just about to finish the auction project."

Miriam sat in a state of shock, for once speechless as the lady Ranger neared her bookcases. Sydney watched Miriam's eyes flicker between herself and the third shelf before changing tactics.

She grabbed one of the books off the shelf and fondled the worn leather, "You know Miriam, may I call you Miriam?" Sydney waited until the librarian nodded to continue, "You have quite the collection here. If I'm not mistaken this is a first edition Poe."

The librarian nodded, gulping audibly and wetting her bright red lips as Sydney returned the book to the shelves. Her voice was unsteady when the Ranger's silence prompted her to speak, "Yes. Thank you. I take pride in my collection."

Sydney stopped at the last shelf, snagging the book that resided right next to her target before glancing back at the nearly panicking woman. "I would too if I were you. Chaucer…fabulous."

Sydney paused for a couple of moments, thumbing through the pages before glancing up at the other woman. She smiled sweetly and returned the book to its home, allowing her thumb to brush over the book beside it as she watched the pulse jump in the other woman's throat.

"You know. I feel horrible that the library isn't going to have their main attraction at the auction. James…do you know James? He's from MLK. Well, he told me that a book like 'Casino Royale' could bring in triple its worth at an auction like yours. Without it I don't think the libraries will be at all successful in their attempt to start the new latchkey program."

"I have a copy. Take it!" Miriam's mind went blank, her eyes were glued to the book that resided on her shelf and before she knew what she was doing she had gone over and plucked the near-perfect copy from its home and handed it to the Ranger.

Sydney ran her hands over the leather, positive that the book she held was the very same book that Tulley and Pickins had dropped on their way out the door. She allowed herself an over-excited smile and reached out to hug the woman close to her, holding tightly as she pressed her mouth against the silken curls of the librarian.

"Right now only you and I know where you found this copy. Tomorrow it will go up for auction as a last-minute donation from an anonymous source and you will never see it again. I'll be checking up on your from time to time…you know, cause we're _old friends_."

Her words were meant to put the fear of God into the other lady, and as she felt her target shiver, she was certain that they had done just that. Sydney released Miriam Hawkins and tossed one last glance at the open suitcase before heading out the door, 'Casino Royale' in hand.

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James Tucker escorted the three Rangers to their seats at the Public library Auction and Dinner event. He made sure to pull out Sydney's seat, whispering how lovely she looked in her teal colored sweetheart dress before he straightened his bowtie and made his way to the stage.

The over-worked blonde lady, Sydney had never gotten her name, gave and excited wave to the Rangers before shaking James' hand and handing the microphone over to him. After thanking the Rangers and the local law enforcement, James began the auction, somehow convincing bidders to keep on bidding until their pockets were empty and the libraries' coffers were full.

In the middle of a rather heated battle between two bidders on the 'Casino Royale' book, Gage leaned over to his partner, "Syd…how on earth did you find someone to donate an almost identical copy of the book a day before the auction?"

Sydney shrugged, "I'm just that good Gage."

Trivette chuckled as Gage's jaw snapped shut and he reached out to tickle his partner. Sydney smacked her attacker and glanced pointedly at the stage where James was announcing that 'Casino Royale' had sold for $300,000.

**Next week on Walker, Texas Ranger:**

_**WTR Episode 9.2 – Zoot Suit Riot - Trivette reveals a new side of himself when he and Erika enter a large Lindy-Hop (swing) competition. While the advanced competition is under 'swing', a large riot breaks out amongst the fans. Can the Rangers pacify the situation before one of their own is hurt?**_

Author's Note: Hey guys, this season premiere was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I don't know if I could have done it without the help (and confidence) of my Beta, MovieMom44. I really hope you enjoyed this episode and please, let me know what you think (i.e.: reviews) because this project is a lot of work and your reviews really fuel my creative energy. Don't forget to check out the Season 9 thread on the WTR forums here at FanFic for teasers and to chat with other fans. I am very excited for next week's show because I love to swing dance and Walker is coming back! You'll also get a little more characterization on Erika because she's a big part of this season (Hello wedding!).

Anyway, thanks for reading and as always…

Enjoy the Ride!

Ckorkows


	3. Episode 9 2 : Zoot Suit Riot

_Walker, Texas Ranger – 9.2 – Zoot Suit Riot_

Trivette reveals a new side of himself when he and Erika enter a large Lindy-Hop (swing) competition. While the advanced competition is under 'swing', a large riot breaks out amongst the fans. Can the Rangers pacify the situation before one of their own is hurt?

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_**Max Niro stood a full head shorter than the other men around him but still managed to command attention as he carefully tested the cocaine in front of him. Niro's lackeys were sorting and weighing piles of the white powder. A subtle whup-whup-whup had five pairs of eyes meeting over the table, shock and fear flashing across their faces moments before the sound registered in their minds.**_

_**Niro bolted from the table, bellowing at the other men as they too ditched the dope, "Cops!"**_

_**The helicopter loomed close to the wide windows of the abandoned building, two men hanging out the doors with one hand each on their Stetsons. Niro and his men froze as the helicopter hovered close and the two men launched themselves through the windows, crashing the coke party.**_

_**Walker rolled into a standing position and faced off with Niro, waiting for the other man to throw the first punch. Trivette landed smack dab in the middle of the second group of men and they scattered, two men tearing out toward the rear entrance while the other two whirled on the Ranger.**_

_**Gage and Sydney darted through the front door, guns drawn, the moment they heard the crash. Seeking cover on opposite ends of the corridor, the two Rangers holstered their pistols and Gage peeked out at the sound of rapid footsteps.**_

_**The Junior Ranger cocked a grin and motioned to his partner, both of them grabbing an end of a chain that had been strewn across the floor at some point. As the unseen villains raced closer the two Rangers pulled tight on their ends, peering out from their cover in time to see one of Niro's lackeys clothesline himself on the taut chain.**_

_**Walker stepped aside, catching Niro on the back with his elbow as the man's momentum pulled him past the Ranger. Spinning quickly, Walker dealt a swift kick to where his opponents head should have been. Niro saw it coming and ducked, jumping up to deliver his own kick to Walker's stomach. **_

_**Trivette took the flurry of fists that the two men delivered with ease. A quick jab to the stomach had one man doubled over, but before Trivette could finish him off, the second man grabbed the Ranger in a full nelson from behind.**_

_**The man flipped onto his back, the air rushing out of him in a big gasp. Gage reached down and grabbed the man by the collar, dragging him up off the ground. As the Junior Ranger cuffed the gasping man, a second man darted out of the shadows and prepared to attack Gage, raising his fists high over the oblivious Ranger's head. Unfortunately he didn't see Sydney in time to block her well-placed kick to the gut. The man doubled over, heaving, and Sydney dropped him to the ground with an elbow to the back of the head.**_

_**Trivette struggled against the guy in back, grunting as the first assailant pummeled his chest and face. Seconds later though, the guy holding the Ranger adjusted his grip and Trivette dropped to the floor, the first man's fist plowing full-speed into his buddy's face. The man crumpled and Trivette finished the fight by sweeping his foot underneath the first assailant's legs, his body thudding onto the concrete floor. Trivette stood and shook his head at the two men, mumbling about how they always had to fight.**_

_**Walker grabbed the man's foot as it collided with his six pack, twisting the boot counter clockwise to knock Niro off his feet. The man landed on his back with a moan, the fight finally knocked out of him.**_

_**Walker snagged his Stetson from the floor and looked down at the dealer, "Stay down."**_

_**Trivette glanced over at his partner, the two men he'd taken down being hauled off by DPD officers as more police men stormed the building. "You think you can handle interrogations without me?"**_

_**Walker smiled, "I think we'll manage."**_

_**Gage and Sydney strolled up behind the partners and Gage clamped a hand onto Trivette's shoulder, "I dunno Trivette…I still can't believe you're leaving in the middle of a case for a Swing Competition. That sounds like something Syd would do."**_

_**Sydney punched her partner's arm, shooting the blonde man her best angry look.**_

_**Trivette rolled his eyes at the partners' banter, "I happen to like swing dancing. At least I have a partner to dance with."**_

_**Gage snorted, "Yeah. Right. Looks like I'm the only real bachelor around anymore."**_

_**Walker shook his head, leading the team away from the crime scene with a secret smile playing across his lips. "Then I guess you're the odd man out Gage."**_

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_**Niro sat drumming his fingers on the metal table, his head lolled back out of boredom when Sydney and Gage walked into Interrogation room B. Sydney glanced at her partner, silently communicating the roles before she planted her fists on the table top.**_

"_**One thousand pounds of cocaine. That's an awful lot of dope Niro."**_

_**The squat man smirked, "It ain't mine."**_

_**Gage rounded the table, placing his hands on the back of Niro's chair and forcing him to sit upright. He looked over at his partner and grinned, "Don't you mean it isn't yours anymore?"**_

_**Sydney kept her face solemn, "Because you already sold it to someone. We also found half a million dollars at the scene. How do you think that got there?"**_

_**Niro's nostrils flared just a little as he glared at the lady Ranger, "I dunno. Maybe you put it there."**_

_**Gage shook his head, "No. No, that's not what we think happened. We think the money is only half of what you were going to get."**_

_**Sydney broke in, continuing her partner's train of thought without breaking the flow, "And that you were going to get the other half when you delivered the goods. A cool million for one thousand pounds of cocaine..."**_

_**Gage shrugged, rounding the table to stand by his partner as he shook his head pityingly, "Ouch. Sounds like you got the rough end of the deal my friend."**_

_**Sydney smiled, "That's true. We busted a guy last week who sold half as much cocaine for double what you got. And his product wasn't nearly as good as yours."**_

_**Gage held back his own grin as the other man's face began to flush and his fingers stilled on the table. "You got jipped man."**_

_**Niro's mouth opened and closed, his mind fighting against his anger. He knew the game; they were trying to make him mad so he'd spill on the buyer. He took a deep breath and settled back into his chair, confidence crossing his face again. "You ain't getting anything out of me."**_

_**Sydney shrugged, "That's okay. That other dealer we were telling you about. He cut a deal with us."**_

_**Gage grinned, unable to contain his entertainment anymore, "Turns out your buyer is dabbling in other products, cutting them in with yours."**_

_**Sydney turned away, aware of the halted breathing that came from the man chained to the table, "I guess you got the short end of the stick again. You'll be serving life in Huntsville…the other guy gets 20-30, with a chance for parole."**_

_**Gage was right behind his partner when Niro stood up, his fists slamming into the metal table as he exploded, "Marcus! The buyer's name is Van Marcus. I want parole."**_

_**Sydney shook her head, tossing a glance back at Niro as she sighed, "You forgot to cut a deal with us first. Enjoy Huntsville Niro."**_

_**The door to the interrogation room swung closed behind the two Rangers, effectively cutting off the sounds of the man as he scrame at them. Walker stood outside and greeted his two Rangers with a smile. No one could work up a suspect better than his Junior Rangers.**_

"_**Either of you heard of Van Marcus before?"**_

_**Gage shook his head, answering for both of them, "Nope. He doesn't sound local."**_

_**Walker nodded, furrowing his brow as he planned out their next steps, "No. He doesn't. Sydney, since Trivette is gone do you think you can find Van Marcus for us? I think we should let him know he won't be getting his product anytime soon."**_

_**Sydney grinned, "Yeah. I think I can do that."**_

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_**Trivette and Erika zoomed along the highway with the top down on his convertible. They had the tunes cranked up so that big band music pulsed over the rush of wind in their faces. Trivette was grinning like a fool as he turned on his blinker and shifted gears, preparing his purring engine to exit the highway.**_

_**The moment they turned onto the main street traffic came to a dead stop. Erika turned down the tunes and glanced at Jimmy with a small smile as his eyes bugged out of his head and his smile fell. **_

_**He glanced over at her and forced a smile, "Looks like we aren't the only ones going to Dallas Swing."**_

_**Erika giggled, placing her hand on top of his as it rested on the gear, "We didn't have to come."**_

_**Trivette wrinkled his nose, "Ha ha ha. You've been talking about nothing other than Dallas Swing since I got the tickets."**_

_**Erika laughed, "No. I've done nothing but listen to you talk about Dallas Swing since you bought the tickets. I've been talking about the wedding."**_

_**Trivette grinned abashedly, glancing down at the ring-less finger that rested on his own hand. He lifted his eyes to Erika's brown ones, "You've been talking. I've been thinking."**_

_**Erika raised an eyebrow, her smile sweet and feminine as her voice softened, "Yeah?"**_

_**Trivette nodded, completely absorbed in the woman he loved, "Yeah."**_

"_**Should I be worried?"**_

_**Trivette shook his head, his trademark grin creeping up on his face even as he struggled to hold it back, "Well yeah!" A look of panic crossed Erika's face before Trivette continued, "You can't have a wedding without a ring."**_

_**Erika's frown broke into a beautiful smile and she leaned across the center console and pressed her lips to Trivette's, a soft, "Oh Jimmy" escaping her mouth.**_

_**Trivette reveled in the kiss for a moment before the sounds of honking and rude words broke his concentration. Jerking his head up he saw that traffic had crawled away from him. Quickly slamming the car into gear, he spun the tires and tossed a hand into the air to acknowledge the angry shouts emanating from behind him. Erika flipped the music back on and settled back into her seat, shaking her head at her fiancé as the car jerked to an abrupt stop only twenty feet from where they had been.**_

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_**Van Marcus lived in a tiny run-down shack on the edge of a seedy neighborhood. Apparently he'd gotten it for a steal because the former owners had decided they needed to leave town or they would suffer grievous injury. That had been two weeks ago and now, as Walker pulled up in front of the dirt yard, the new owner peeked out from behind his tattered curtains and racked his gun.**_

_**Walker stepped out of his truck, careful to keep the bulk of the vehicle between himself and the house as he drew his weapon. Out of the corner of his eye he saw two shadows streak across the backyard – his cue.**_

"_**Van Marcus, Texas Ranger, you're under arrest."**_

_** The flash of silver was the only warning Walker had before three shots were fired at where his head had been. Leaning with his back against the truck, Walker waited for a moment before poking jumping up and firing a few of his own rounds back at the house. His highly sensitive ears heard the tell-tale creak of door and he let loose the rest of his magazine before dropping out of sight to reload and avoid the return volley.**_

_** Van Marcus managed to get off one last round before he was attacked from behind. A foot in the back sent the man crashing through the window and into the yard. The man rolled across the dirt and was just managing to get to his hands and knees when Gage erupted from the front door, breaking the wood from its hinges. Seeing Marcus on the ground his speed slowed and the blonde Ranger strolled over to the crawling man, placed a foot on his back and applied pressure until he fell face-flat into the dirt.**_

_** Grinning broadly he glanced up at the broken window where his partner was shaking her head. Sydney raised an eyebrow, "Good job Gage."**_

_** Gage shrugged and bent to haul the cringing man to his feet, "Thanks."**_

_** Walker approached his Rangers and locked eyes with Van Marcus. The man's eyes sagged as he met the Ranger's eyes and shrugged. Walker pursed his lips and turned away.**_

_** "It isn't him."**_

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_**Trivette and Erika made it to the group of hotels where the swing competition was located. There were inside and outside events and the five buildings and courtyards were crowded with thousands of people. Venders, competitions, lessons, and free-dances were spotted across the compound and as the couple walked toward the main event the rise and fall of many different styles of swing music assaulted their eyes and ears.**_

_**The mood was contagious and, while standing in line to watch the Advanced Jack and Jill competition, Trivette found himself following the lead of many other people and grabbing Erika by the hand to break out into a brief Jitterbug when his favorite song came on. The gleeful mood continued all the way into the building, where literally hundreds of people crowded around a small 12x12 dance floor and waited for the first couple to be chosen.**_

_**Erika huddled close to Trivette, unconsciously avoiding the sweaty bodies that pushed in close to her as he detailed the rules of the competition. "You enter the competition alone, as a lead or a follow. The men, or leads, are put in a specific order and the women's names are drawn randomly as is the song. Sometimes the lead gets to choose whether he wants a blues or a swing song. Each pair then must dance to the song. It's a true demonstration of what Swing Dance is all about – good leading and good following. This is one of the only competitions where you don't get to choreograph your every move."**_

_**Erika nodded as the first newly acquainted couple waited for the pulse of the music to start. The man was heavier set and she was skeptical about his ability to lead, especially since he'd been paired with the tiniest of the advanced female dancers. But the moment the blues song, a Maroon 5 slow song, started the man knocked her out of the water.**_

_**The dance was fluid, creative, and sexy as all get out. The bulk of the man seemed to melt away the moment he dipped his dance partner for the first time. And it just got better from there.**_

_**A while into the competition things were really starting to heat up and Erika was starting to squirm. Leaning into Trivette she murmured something about the bathroom and quickly escaped the overheated competition to the coolness of the now empty hotel hallways.**_

_**Erika strolled through the empty hallway, searching for the bathroom while she let her curiosity overwhelm her. Peeking into conference rooms and larger rooms she spotted various competitions, lessons, and conferences going on. When a topic or a specific lesson caught her eye she'd stay in the doorway and listen to it for a while before moving on. **_

_**One conference room at the very end of the hallway was partially open. Erika hadn't come across any more occupied rooms for a while and the quiet rumble of masculine voices drew her to the doorway.**_

"…_**nobody screws with Edward Van Marcus. That dealer you hired had better not roll on us or it'll be your head Andrew."**_

_**A second voice, less confident than the first reached Erika's ears, "No worries boss, Niro's not about to roll on us. He's still got half a mil coming if he manages to keep the Rangers chasing dead ends until we're out of town."**_

_**Erika stifled a gasp. Jimmy didn't tell her much about his job, but occasionally he shared some stories with her. He'd busted Niro for cocaine not two days ago! She pressed closer, not wanting to leave until she knew more about what these men were planning.**_

_**Somebody else mumbled something and there was the sound of movement which had Erika's heart racing. But she stayed put, too intent on gathering her evidence than she was on her own safety. Moments ticked by in painful silence while the men seemed to rifle around in something.**_

_**Finally Erika picked up the first man's voice again, "The trucks will be coming later today and by this time next week we'll have ten thousand pounds of cocaine being sold in every major city in the United States. And we'll be very, very rich men."**_

_**This time Erika failed to stifle her gasp. The laughter in the room died immediately and before she knew what was happening two of the men burst through the door with machine guns. **_

_**Face to face with a brick of muscle and deadly steel, Erika did the only thing she could think of. She lifted her foot and nailed the first guy in the crotch, darting out of the grasping hands of the second fellow as a third man joined them in the hallway.**_

_**Someone yelled, "Grab her!" and Erika was off, racing down the hall in a zigzag pattern with the sounds of gunshots ringing behind her. **_

_**The three men gave chase, two of them racing ahead of the third who was still choked up in pain. In the narrow hallways the bulky men couldn't fit side by side and one of them fell trying to pass the other, his finger automatically pulling the trigger and releasing several bullets into the hotel walls.**_

_**Erika veered right down a second hallway as pandemonium broke out behind her. Upon hearing the first shots fired people burst from the rooms in unorganized panic. The two goons still chasing Erika resorted to firing more shots into the ceiling and walls in an attempt to clear the now clogged halls. This resorted in more panic and a couple of injuries as the hotel literally erupted with activity. **_

_**Trivette was the first one on his feet when he heard the gun shots. Quickly taking command of the situation he ordered the already panicking people to stay in the room and lock the door. Once he fully restored calm in the Jack and Jill room he glanced down to where Erika should have been, all color draining from his face as he remembered her whispered excuse from earlier.**_

_**Pointing at one of the dancers who still looked like he had his cool, Trivette ushered his orders, "You. You're in charge. Nobody leaves this room and nobody comes in. If anyone has a cell phone give it to him and he'll call the police. Tell them the location and shots fired. Tell them you don't know if anyone's been hurt."**_

_**The sound of what could be described as a stampede interrupted his orders and Ranger Trivette turned around to see hundreds of people squeezing past the door, climbing over one another and screaming wildly. The sounds of gunshots continued but then faded, as though they had gone a different route but the wild parade of people seemed never ending.**_

_**Reaching for the door handle Trivette glanced back at the man he'd put in charge, "Tell them…tell them there's a riot. A riot at Dallas Swing. And lock the door behind me."**_

_**With that Trivette pulled open the door, stepping into the flow of people and allowing them to carry him along. Fear clutched tight at his heart as he imagined Erika fighting the flood of people. He had to find her.**_

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_**The smug look on Niro's face disappeared with the determined anger flickering across Walker's face. The older Ranger bent over the table until he was eye-to-eye with the other man, then he held his gaze silently.**_

_**Niro lasted about five minutes before he started talking. Cockiness still overriding common sense, he sneered at the Ranger, "You find Van Marcus yet? I bet he was really surprised when you showed up. Did he shoot at you? He's pretty fond of shooting at people. Shot at me once. But only once. I bet he emptied both his magazines before you got him."**_

_**The man paused for effect, seeing no response he tried his luck again, "Did you find the other half of my million? I bet you didn't. Not there at least. When you do find it though…"**_

_**He was cut short. Walker's hand snaked out and grabbed a fistful of Niro's shirt so fast the man would have fallen over if he hadn't been sitting. **_

_**Dragging the man closer to his face Walker kept his voice low and threatening, "Where's the real Van Marcus?"**_

_**Niro almost managed to paste his self-satisfied smile back on his face - almost. "Wh-who says there's a real one? Maybe I just made him up huh? Maybe I'm him. How would you know?"**_

_**Walker narrowed his eyes and released the man's shirt, "You're not him. You're not smart enough."**_

_**Sydney burst into the interrogation room, cell phone in hand, "Walker. A riot just broke out at Dallas Swing."**_

_**The concern and urgency in his Junior Ranger's eyes had him walking away from Niro even as the full impact of her words hit him. The minute the door closed behind him, Walker let his own concern show with a single question, "Trivette?"**_

_**Sydney shook her head, following Walker as he stalked down the hall, "The man who called it in said that he went into the riot. Just walked straight out the door and disappeared. Nobody knows where Erika is either."**_

_**Walker nodded, fishing for his keys even as Gage raced down the corridor to meet them. His words reflected his understanding of his partner's inner workings, "He went to find her. Otherwise he would have stayed in the room."**_

_**The two Junior Rangers nodded gravely as they piled into the silver pickup and sped away.**_

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_**Van Marcus glowered at the three men left in his command. The one who had fired the initial shots lay dead at his feet, a testament to his unforgiving nature. **_

"_**What do you mean she got away? Where did she go?"**_

_**The three men shrugged, knowing exactly what their boss would want to hear and knowing they couldn't give him that answer. Finally one of them spoke up, "Andrew and Collins are still after her. We think she turned at that first hallway but we got caught behind the mob. What do you want us to do?"**_

_**Van Marcus pursed his lips together tightly, pacing the length of the trampled body at his feat as he considered his options. In less than eight hours the trucks would be pulling in to pick up his product. He'd need the men to load it and since three of them were expired or otherwise occupied…**_

"_**We stay here. Andrew and Collins can find and kill that little bitch or die trying. It doesn't matter. With the riot as a distraction we'll be out of here before she can repeat anything she heard. Besides," Van Marcus smiled as he appealed to the basic nature of his companions, "With Hind dead and the other two out of the way…there's more in it for you three."**_

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_**Trivette just barely managed to escape down a side hallway. While still crowded, the rooms in this area were mainly sleeping quarters so there hadn't been so many people there in the first place. Some other people had escaped down the same hallway and sat huddled on the floor, shivering, as they listened to the stampede and the ringing sound of gunshots that could have been real or imagined. **_

_**Trivette pushed through the people, trying to map out where the ladies room way and praying that Erika had stayed there when she had heard the shots. He was in the wrong hallway he knew. But there was no way he could turn back. He'd have to find another way to the second hallway.**_

_**The hallway he was in ran parallel to the one where the restrooms were. The hallway where the riot had broken out ran the longest side of the hotel. Trivette came to a dead end at the hallway and tried to remember if there was any other hallway that ran the same way the first did. **_

_**Panic started to boil a little at the base of his spine, a little pit of angst and worry that chanted you'll never find her over and over again. Trivette pushed those thoughts away, slamming his hand against the window as he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. **_

_**Unfortunately he never got the opportunity. His hand never met glass and his eyes flew open as he nearly toppled out of the fifth floor opening. His surprise and fear quickly turned to excitement as he noticed the thin ledge that was tucked outside of the window.**_

_** Mentally saying prayers for himself and his fiancé, Trivette carefully clambered out of the window and, with his back against the exterior wall, began to slide his way in the direction of the second hallway. If he was lucky that window would be broken too!**_

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_**Erika heard the shots getting fainter and glanced behind her. Certain that the men chasing her couldn't see her through the crowd that was quickly gathering; she ducked into a utility closet and slammed the door.**_

_**Sounds of confusion turned to pandemonium as the shots got louder and people began to scream. Erika cowered in the corner of the utility closet, making herself as small as possible as the people outside began to riot. The stampeding feet and sounds of anguished pain and terror were enough to frighten anybody, but every time a body slammed up against the door Erika imagined that it was the two men coming to kill her. Her wet face shimmered in the faint light that the door allowed in. She didn't know when she had started crying and she didn't care. As quietly as possible she let it all out, her entire body shaking as she kept from sobbing out loud.**_

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_**The officers on scene were more than happy to see Walker pull up. Before the Rangers were even out of their vehicles they were being filled in on the details of the riot by a young Sergeant.**_

"_**The riot started in the center building. Witnesses say that they heard shots fired and panic broke out. More than two thousand people were in that building and the halls are only five feet wide. By the time the first people made it to the streets pandemonium had broken out around the building as well. We've managed to keep the riot from spreading to other buildings but we haven't been able to get near the first building."**_

_**Walker nodded, placing a hand on the man's shoulder in a gesture of good faith, "Good job Elliot. If the riot had spread we'd be in serious trouble. Any word on our man?"**_

_**The younger officer glanced at a woman who was huddled in the back of an ambulance. "A witness says she saw a man fitting your Ranger's description climbing out a window on the south side. Fifth floor. Other than that we've got no idea. I'm sorry Walker."**_

_**Walker nodded, furrowing his brow as he wondered why Trivette would be climbing out of a window. Shaking his head of unanswerable queries he continued, "We'll find him. Do you have the layout of the hotel? Maybe we can find another way in."**_

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_**Trivette crept along the thin ledge with baited breath. Never one for heights, the former football star had his eyes closed to the world as he made it to yet another window. Praying that this one would lead to a hallway, Trivette slowly turned his head and peered through the shattered window, letting a gust of wind escape his lungs in a noisy rush as he peered down a now empty hallway.**_

_**Looking up at the sky, Trivette mouthed a big Thank You before reaching through the shattered glass to stabilize himself before climbing inside.**_

_**Sirens in the background reminded him that Walker would probably start looking for him. Shrugging out of his jacket, a brand new suede, Trivette carefully hung the tan-colored fabric through the window, anchoring it between some shards of glass, before turning down the hallway.**_

_**It was eerily quiet. Whoever had been in this hallway had since disappeared into the fray and Trivette's footsteps seemed to be the only sign of life. Hope of finding Erika down this hallway quickly diminished as Trivette peered past broken doors and into empty rooms.**_

_**The ladies bathroom was halfway down the hall and sounds of slamming stall doors and angry voices emanated from the partially open door. Trivette reached for his gun instinctively, biting back an expletive when his hand hit empty air. Sneaking up next to the door, Trivette peeked into what had once been a beautifully decorated room.**_

"_**How could you lose her Collins? The boss won't let us live this down."**_

_**A man appeared in the doorway, his back to Trivette and his arms angled as though he were cradling something. By the looks of the sling across his back it was a gun.**_

"_**Shut up Andrews. You're the one who let her run. I know I saw her turn down this hallway so she's gotta still be here."**_

_**The first speaker appeared in front of his friend, his face red with anger even as he snarled at his companion, "We've checked every room down this hall. Where do you think she disappeared to you idiot?"**_

_**The conversation neared and Trivette ducked into a room nearby, peeking out as the men entered the hallway.**_

"_**We still haven't checked the utility closets."**_

_**The angry man racked his weapon, the sound reverberating through the narrow space, "Fine. But if she isn't there we'll have to go back."**_

_**Trivette snuck back into the hallway behind the two men as the second one mumbled something that sounded vaguely like, "Then you can tell Van Marcus why we didn't take care of the girl."**_

_**Following the two men Trivette quickly made up his mind. He'd have to stop them before they found whoever it was they were trying to kill. Erika would know to hide or find a room to stay in, and since she wasn't in the ladies restroom she had to have found someplace safer to go to. The other girl didn't stand a chance if these two buffoons found her.**_

_**The first man was several feet ahead of his partner, spewing angry words into the air as he kicked in various doors. The second guy seemed to have lost his wind for the search and half-heartedly peered into rooms and closets as he listened to his comrade rant.**_

_**Trivette took advantage of this and snuck up behind the slower partner, jumping onto the man's back and tossing an arm around his neck even as he placed his hand over the man's mouth. His momentum rocked the man forward into the room and out of sight, and even though the man thrashed a little, Trivette managed to knock him out before the second man heard the ruckus.**_

_**Andrew whirled around in the hall at the sound of crashing in one of the rooms, snarling he stalked toward the room, chastising his companion as he went. "Collins. What on earth do you think you're doing man? Trying to scare the little lady out of hiding with that noise? Stop messin…"**_

_**Trivette was waiting beside the doorway when the man turned into the room. The sight of Collins laid out unconscious had Andrew reaching for his weapon a second too late. Trivette slammed his body into the wide bulk of the second man, pushing him out into the hallway where they crashed into a wall. Andrews grabbed the thinner man around the waist and spun him toward the wall, ramming Trivette's body into the plaster in an attempt to subdue his unknown assailant. **_

_**Trivette grunted at the impact and jerked his elbow back, slamming his fist into Andrew's side repeatedly until the larger man released his grip on him. He pushed the villain away and let swing an uppercut that landed directly on Andrew's jaw. **_

_**Stunned momentarily, Van Marcus' lackey did nothing but watch as Trivette executed a perfect roundhouse kick. The side of his cowboy boot leaving an imprint on the other man's face before he collapsed into a heap. The fight gone out of him.**_

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_**Walker, Sydney, and Gage wound their way through the slowly dispersing crowds. The young Sergeant and his officers had managed to contain the riot by quickly controlling the front exit of the hotel and slowly releasing the now calming public into the streets. Skirting the building, Walker looked up at the fifth story, hoping to verify the witness's story.**_

_**Sydney walked ahead of the two men, her smaller stature making it easier for her to dart between the milling bodies of confused swingers. Glancing up at the fifth story she spotted a flutter outside one of the windows. She stopped dead in her tracks and shielded her eyes with one hand, hoping to see the movement again.**_

_**The jacket fluttered and Sydney quickly responded, "Walker! Up there."**_

_**Walker and Gage pushed through the people and stopped by the petite brunette, each copying her stance and squinted to see what the other Ranger saw.**_

_**Walker saw it first. "Trivette's jacket. He's up there."**_

_**Sydney suddenly put two and two together, laying a hand on Walker's arm she waited until she had his full attention. "Erika's terrified of heights. The lady says she saw Trivette climbing across the building alone. He'd only do that if…"**_

"_**He was looking for Erika." The full truth hit Walker with the force of a thousand memories. How many times had he himself felt that undeniable sense of fear and loss when Alex was out of sight and in possible danger? He pursed his lips and placed his Stetson back on his head, "We're going in."**_

_**Gage craned his neck back and ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, but how're we supposed to get up there?"**_

_**Walker smiled a little, picking up a decent sized rock from the landscaping and lobbing it at the windows. The sound of shattering glass served to punctuate his response, "I guess we'll get in through one of those broken windows…the way Trivette did."**_

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_**Trivette made sure he'd subdued the two men entirely before he returned to the hallway. The closet door that Andrews had been reaching for was still shut tight, the only place in the entire hallway left to check. **_

_**Reaching out, Trivette gripped the cool handle in his palm, praying once more that he find his fiancé, and twisted.**_

_**The door exploded open and tossed Trivette backwards, a tiny fist landing itself in his stomach before he could register what had happened. The fist bounced off his abdomen and Trivette reached out with both arms, wrapping them around the struggling female in a tight bear hug and shouting out above her screams that he was a Texas Ranger.**_

_**All fight went out of her and the woman turned easily in Trivette's arms, her brown eyes shining as a half-smile lit her shining face, "Jimmy?"**_

_** The Ranger sagged against the wall, holding his woman tightly. Relief flooded through him as Erika cried into his shirt, undoubtedly overjoyed to see him.**_

_**But within moments Erika ceased her crying and, with tear-stained face, began to blurt out what she had heard before the riot broke out. "Jimmy, the…I heard…Edward Van Marcus is transporting something using trucks later today. He was telling his people about Niro and how he'd better not roll on them or it'd be their heads. They heard me outside and tried to kill me. Oh Trivette…you've got to stop them!"**_

_** Trivette's face flashed with an emotion halfway between excitement and disbelief. He gave Erika one great big hug before fishing around in his pockets for his cell phone. With any luck he'd have enough bars to call Walker.**_

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_**Walker climbed through the broken window first, ignorant of the glass shards which scratched at his hands and shoulders as he pulled himself through. Scouting ahead the older Ranger didn't wait for his Junior Rangers, trusting them to follow him. Gage gave Sydney a boost in and hauled himself up after her, the two of them quickly falling in behind their leader as they travelled the suspiciously empty hallway.**_

_**Ahead of them was the sound of terror. Quiet wails of pain could be heard beneath the thunderous pounding of feet and bodies. Orders for calm could be heard over the hotel's announcement system but whether or not they were helping was yet to be seen.**_

_**When they reached the joining of the short hallway with the main one the Rangers quickly realized that the riot was still in full swing, a chaotic stampede for the door which seemed to worsen as the panicked people neared their only escape. **_

_**Sydney gasped when she saw the wall of people, turning her wide brown eyes to her partner and mentor as she voiced what they all were thinking. "There's no way we're getting past them all Walker."**_

_**Walker pursed his lips again. They were caught behind a group of people trying to wedge their way back into the main hallway. Sydney was right; they weren't going to go that way. **_

_**He scanned the walls and ceiling, unable to come up with a great solution. Motioning his Rangers to the wall he plastered himself against the cool paint, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Hey! There's a broken window this way, we can get out!"**_

_**The effect was instantaneous. Like water rupturing from a dam the people who had been trying to get into the main stream immediately turned and began racing toward the broken window, knocking one another over and tripping on themselves in their haste. The throng of people in the main hallway immediately diverged, following the release of pressure down the side hallway in droves. **_

_**Sydney and Gage hadn't been ready for it, the first people succeeded in knocking into Sydney, almost sending her spinning into the chaos before her partner yanked her back against the wall, tucking her beside him and closing his eyes to the thunderous roar of footsteps.**_

_**The three Rangers were bumped, jerked, tripped over, and yelled at. Somebody grabbed Walker's shirt front and shook him, trying to convince him to run for his life. But eventually the parade of people lessoned to a trickle and the Rangers were able to disassociate themselves from the walls.**_

_**Gage checked on Sydney first, lifting her head from where she had tucked it against her chest. "You okay?"**_

_**Sydney nodded, mentally willing her heart to stop beating so fast as she responded, "Yeah. You?"**_

_**Gage nodded, smiling slightly. His partner never let herself get ruffled. Walker raised an eyebrow in their direction and he gave his boss a curt nod. They were fine. Walker nodded back and turned toward the still crowded main hallway.**_

"_**There are some emergency stairs toward the front of the building. I figure we'll just go with the flow until we reach them. Stay close."**_

_**Gage nodded, following his fearless leader into the fray only to be stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. Sydney jerked her head back at the wall and murmured a small thanks before pushing into the throng of people, trying to keep up with Walker. Gage smiled slightly before following, for some reason overly pleased with his partner's small thank you.**_

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_**Trivette snapped his phone shut, exhaling heavily as he responded to the curious look on Erika's face, "Not answering. The one time I actually need him to answer his phone and he's not answering."**_

_**Erika scrunched her eyebrows together, gnawing at her bottom lip as she thought about their situation. "What do we do now?"**_

_**Trivette shrugged, dropping to a sitting position and pulling Erika to him, "We wait. Walker is probably already looking for us. And I left my jacket at the window so he'll have to see it."**_

_**Erika sighed, discontent with waiting, "But what about Van Marcus?"**_

_**Trivette grinned behind his fiancé's head, "Why don't you tell me exactly what you heard outside that door."**_

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_**The going was slow and tough. Walker was a dozen or so people ahead of his Junior Rangers and was successfully elbowing his way closer to the stairs. Sydney and Gage stayed close to one another, not wanting to have their partner swept away by the crowds, and found that by sticking closer to the walls they could sort of push people toward the center and move forward that way. It took time, too much time in Walker's mind, but eventually all three made it to the staircase.**_

_**Walker pushed the heavy door open and held it, reaching out into the river of people to pull first Gage, then Sydney from the fray and into the relative safety of the staircase. There were some people trickling down the stairs, but for the most part the Rangers were alone.**_

_**Five floors up and they were looking out into a current of people as strong if not stronger than the one they had left. Motioning to the stair railing, Walker jerked the door open and hollered for people to come this way, holding on for dear life as hundreds of people pounded through the narrow doorway and down the stairs, all-too-eager to get to what they didn't know was a still clogged up exit.**_

_**When the flow of people onto the staircases slowed Walker pushed through the doorway, leading his Rangers in a upstream fight toward the hallway where they'd seen Trivette's Jacket. This time Gage held Sydney's hand as they followed their determined boss, keeping the group together as bodies pushed and threatened to separate them.**_

_**It was slow, bruising going and not a word was spoken until Gage saw Walker disappear in front of him. He pushed harder against the bodies and nearly tugged Sydney's arm out of her socket as he dragged her toward the empty space Walker had turned into.**_

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_**Erika had just finished her story when she saw him. Scrambling to her feet and jerking Trivette up to his she squealed in excitement, "Walker!"**_

_**Trivette's eyes nearly popped out of his head as first Walker, then Sydney and Gage erupted from the condensed throng of people outside their hallway. Standing and grinning broadly Trivette accosted his friend and partner with a huge pat on the back.**_

"_**What took you so long?"**_

_**Walker smiled to, "We got caught up. Don't tell me you started the riot."**_

_**Trivette shook his head, clutching his woman tight against him as he relayed her story. Nope. Erika did. Seems she eavesdropped on Van Marcus and his lackeys laying out plans for a cocaine shipment later today."**_

_**The joyous reunion came to an abrupt halt at the mention of Van Marcus. Sydney gave Erika a brief hug while Trivette shared what she had learned about the man. Gage stood in the background, a frown on his face as he remembered how Niro had played them. His hands balled up into fists as Walker's eyes took on a determined gleam.**_

_**Thin lipped and ready for action, Walker quickly set up his plan, the five people squatting in a hotel hallway as each person, including Erika, was given a job."**_

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_**Van Marcus was beginning to get angry. The riot had at first seemed like a blessing but now, after several hours of being stuck in a stuffy conference room with three idiots and one dead body, he was really sick of the throng of people who blocked his only exit. He had two guys down at the warehouse and several trucks arriving in less than an hour and he was stuck here unable to claim his prize.**_

_**The three men sat as far away from their brooding boss as possible. They were staring blankly out the only window when the door to the conference room burst open.**_

_**Walker exploded into the room with the other Rangers on his heels. He headed directly for Van Marcus, grabbing the man by the throat and throwing him against a wall before the other man could even react. **_

_**Sydney, Gage, and Trivette each took one of the bulky guys, knocking them out of their chairs and subduing them in less time than it had taken them to run into the room. Walker had Van Marcus by the throat and the man proved he was not a fighter by simply melting into the hold, giving up completely.**_

_**Walker brought his face close to Van Marcus', allowing the brim of his Stetson to barely scrape the villain's forehead as he growled, "Where's the cocaine?"**_

_**Van Marcus shrugged, "I'm sorry Ranger. But I don't know what you're talking about."**_

_**Walker squeezed, enjoying the way Van Marcus's eyes seemed to pop right out of his head as he gagged and gasped for breath. He let loose a little and repeated himself, his voice even lower and more dangerous than the first time. "The cocaine that your trucks are picking up today. The cocaine that Niro and others sold you. The cocaine that will be all over the country in a couple of days - along with your body - if you don't tell me where it is."**_

_**Van Marcus gulped, his Adams apple bobbing against Walker's palm as the man's cool wavered. Walker allowed a faint smile to cross his face when the man finally spilled.**_

_**The moment he had the location, Walker dropped Van Marcus, tossing his own pair of handcuffs to Gage before snapping his phone off his belt.**_

"_**Elliot? It's Walker. Get your team to warehouse five. There are three trucks heading out in fifteen minutes, take the dogs with you and stop them."**_

_**Trivette quirked an eyebrow in his partner's direction as Walker hung up the phone, "Now what?"**_

_**Walker let a full grin break across his face, relief at finding his friend safe and sound finally emerging. "Now? Well Trivette, we are at a Swing Festival..."**_

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_**That night the riot had been completely controlled and Dallas Swing went on with their famous Big Texas Swing Dance. The Rangers were all invited due to their help in controlling the riot, though how they got inside the building remained a mystery to most of the swing dancers.**_

_**The music pulsed around the room, barely audible beneath the slapping of hundreds of feet and the whoops of excited dancers. Walker and Alex were sitting with their friends at a round table close to the dance floor, their eyes glued to the figure of lanky Trivette guiding his gorgeous fiancé around the other dancers with practiced ease. **_

_**Sydney sat in front of Gage, enjoying his closeness as the goofy Ranger leaned over her shoulder and cracked jokes about Trivette's dancing. Alex and Walker laughed as the Junior Rangers' voices reached their ears, "Hey, I never knew Trivette was such a swinger! His left hook leaves so much to be desired."**_

_**Sydney rolled her eyes but couldn't keep a smile from curling her lips, "Gage, you're just jealous because you've got two left feet."**_

_**The fast-paced music melted into a slower tune, drawing new couples onto the floor for a quick blues dance. Alex grinned as Walker tugged her to her feet and led her, rather gracefully, onto the floor. Gage rolled his eyes as Trivette executed a perfect dip before twirling Erika into the tight circle of his arms.**_

_**Sydney sighed at the sight. Swaying slowly with the music she ignored Gage's next crack and simply imagined what it would be like to be drawn onto the dance floor like the many beautiful women attending Dallas Swing. **_

_**Gage's brow wrinkled at the wistful sound that escaped his partner. Tucking his head over her shoulder he followed her gaze to the many couples swaying in time to the sensual music. "Hey Syd…you okay?"**_

_**Sydney snapped out of it, shaking her head and jerking away from her partner when she realized just exactly how close he was. "Yeah. Fine. Just tired."**_

_**Gage smirked, **_**yeah right!**_**, and wrapped his fingers around Sydney's wrist, tugging her to her feet as he led the way onto the floor, "You know what cures tiredness?"**_

_**Sydney's cheeks reddened beautifully as her handsome partner wrapped her in his arms, "No I don't."**_

_**Gage tucked his partner's head beneath his chin and let a rumble of contentment roll through him. He wasn't quite as suave as Trivette or Walker, but how hard was it, really, to hold a girl close and sway in time with some slow music? He smiled as Sydney settled in against his chest, unbelievably content and unwilling to explore the reason as he mumbled his response into a pile of dark curls that smelled of lavender. "Dancing."**_

_Next week on Walker, Texas Ranger:_

WTR Episode 9.3 – Renaissance Rangers - A murdered man leads the Rangers to investigate a local Renaissance festival where they discover that the apothecary may be selling more than old time herbs and remedies.

_**Author's Note: Hey guys, I know this episode is way late and I appreciate your patience. I've been through a lot these past couple of weeks, with a family crisis, a wedding, and then some medical problems of my own. I have decided to remove the dates on my episodes and to work on them at a pace that allows for me to recover. I will hopefully catch up on several of them within the next couple of weeks but I'm afraid that I cannot promise anything.**_

_**This second epi was really hard to write for me…turns out I'm not that great at fight scenes. But I promise that I'll work on them and next week we'll have some more fun. Let me know if you think of any way I can improve my fight scenes and please review! I really do thrive on reviews; they're the water to my fish…if the fish is my urge to write.**_

_**Anyway, thanks for reading and as always…**_

_**Enjoy the Ride!**_

_**Ckorkows**_


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